Leadership development - Essay Example

?Introduction This paper is concerned with the assessment of my skills and values as regards to leadership. It shall present my self-insights as to my capacity to become a leader, focusing on 36 measures of leader self-insights. It also presents my personal mission statement of how I should develop my leadership skills. Towards the end, I would also develop a personal model and theory as regards to effective leadership Section 1. Leader Self-Insights Leader’s Self-Insight 1.1 reveals the five different multiple intelligences that one must possess in order to ensure effective learning. From the results obtained from the same, I was able to find out that I possess all of the said intelligences, thereby increasing my capability for personal growth and development. Leader’s self-insight 1.2, on the other hand, looks into potential leadership qualities as compared vis-a-vis with management qualities. In this assessment, I discovered that I am inclined more towards leadership than management. Lastly, in Leadership’s Self-Insight 1.3, I discovered that I am not in a fast track to nowhere as I possess all the necessary people skills. The assessment in Leader’s Self-Insight 2.1 reveals my high level of self-confidence whereas in Leader’s Self-Insight 2.2, it was shown that my leadership orientation is geared towards initiation. Leader’s Self-Insight 4.2 on the other hand shows that my locus of control is internal which shows that I am a master of my fate and not other external factors. Thus, I tend to make decisions based on what I feel, without taking into consideration the people around me. Based on the Jung’s Typology/Myers-Briggs questionnaire, I am also an extrovert. Leadership Self-Insight 3.1 shows that as a leader, I tend to be more oriented towards the accomplishment of tasks rather than to the people under my control. In the same manner, based on Leadership Self-Insight 3.2, my readiness is at the highest level which means that I must take into consideration the readiness and preparedness of the members of my staff. Leader’s Self-Insight 2.3., on the other hand, which focuses on LMX relationship shows that I have not developed a good relationship with my followers as their leader. As mentioned earlier, I tend to give paramount importance to the accomplishment of tasks rather than to the people. I also have good team leadership skills, thereby showing my exceptional ability to handle team conflict. In addition, I can say that I am a transformational leader, with the charisma needed to ensure that my team members are working towards the accomplishment of the goal. I am also a servant leader, with high listening skills as well as ensuring that my followers receive the appropriate feedback. Based on the abovementioned discussion as well as my description of five leader’s self-insight, I learned that I possess all the qualities of a good leader. Because of my possession of the same, I also know that I have the ability to effectively lead the members of my staff and team. In addition, I also discovered that I have also developed a good relationship with my followers, thereby ensuring that my leadership is more effective. These findings will definitely affect my personal development plan. Without a doubt, I will use the said findings in furtherance of my leadership agenda. I will continue to build my strengths in order to become a good leader as well as to guarantee good followership among the members of my team. Section 2. vLeader Simulation of Leadership Styles See Appendix 3 for VLeader Reflections Section 3. Personal Mission Statement for Leadership Development My Mission It is my mission to effectively lead my team through the continuous development of the skills that I possess and continuously improving myself so that I could faithfully adhere to the principles of effective leadership, to lead the members of my staff in the achievement of our goals, to ensure the continuous accomplishment of tasks while nevertheless giving paramount consideration to the well-being of my followers. It is through my constant regard for excellence and achievement that I seek to improve my skills and the manner by which I deal with people. As revealed by the assessments that I took, I am more inclined towards the accomplishment of tasks rather than giving paramount consideration to my followers. It is in this sense that I also wish to develop the former. Core Values Based on the Value Clarification Exercise that I completed as well as in the self-assessments that I have taken, the following are the core values that I possess at this very moment: (1) Achievement, (2) Honesty, (3) Friendship, (4) Balance, (5) Community, (6) Freedom, (7) Justice, (8) Health, (9) Love and (10) Self-Worth. On the other hand, the subsequent paragraph enumerates my goals which generally reflect my aspired values. Goals As a leader, one of my aspired values is power. Hence, it is my personal goal to determine a higher sense of authority over the people I lead. I mentioned earlier that I am more focus on the accomplishment of tasks rather than on my people. In addition, I also regard myself as a charismatic leader. Nevertheless, I would like to attain a higher sense of authority over the people that I lead. I want to make them feel that notwithstanding the fact that I give a lot of importance in the accomplishment of tasks, their issues and well-being are nevertheless taken into consideration. Another aspired value is recognition. Thus, it has always been my goal to put in a lot of work to my development as a leader because it is through this that I would attain recognition. In addition to the same, another aspired value is stability – stability as a leader of the team that I am currently leading. I believe that it is through the attainment of stability that I would also be able to attain recognition. The next aspired value and goal is to ensure partnership between me and the members of my staff. As partners, it will be easier for us to work hard towards the attainment of our goals. It is also through this that I could give a high sense of regard for my staff whilst ensuring that I continue to give importance to the accomplishment of our tasks. Lastly, I would like to attain wisdom. It is through the possession the same that I would be able to make sound decisions more effectively, handle the concerns of all the members of the staff, and to ensure my development as a leader. Action Steps In order to attain the following goals and aspired values, I plan to develop the following functional goals: accountability and responsibility, communication, competency, loyalty, organisation, team, flexibility, respect and tolerance. It is through the possession of the abovementioned that I will be given the chance to lead my team effectively, in the achievement of our goals yet with constant regard to the best interest of the latter. I also plan to become an effective leader in my field. As an effective leader, I hope to contribute actively to the effectiveness of my organisation and to the effectiveness of the members of my team by making sure that they too experience a sense of professional development by making them feel more relevant and important to the organisation. Aside from being an effective leader, I also want to become a transformational leader. It is my goal to possess the sufficient amount of charisma necessary to influence, encourage and inspire the people around me to work hard towards the achievement of our goals thereby ensuring the recognition of our team. In relation to the same, I would also like to improve my people skills and how I deal with the members of my team. Through this, I expect to be a better leader than what I am now. Section 4. Personal Model and Theory Based on the learning feedback that I have obtained in sections 1, 2, and 3 of this paper, I noticed that there are a lot of aspects that I must improve on in order to ensure my effectiveness as a leader. According to the self-assessments that I have undertaken, notwithstanding the fact that I have good people skills, there is a tendency that my leadership style focuses more on making people do what they have to do in order to ensure the accomplishment of the goals. Unfortunately, I have not developed a good relationship with my team and this has relatively compromised my effectiveness as a leader. Aside from this, I also believe that leadership, in my daily life and ongoing career, requires the constant regard for the attainment of goals and the well-being of the members of the staff. In addition, charisma is of paramount importance as the latter enables the leader to convince and inspire the followers to work hand in hand with him or her towards the attainment of their goals. Without a doubt, I adhere with previous definitions of leadership as regards it being a special relationship between the leader and his followers toward the accomplishment of a common goal. I thus develop my personal model and theory of leadership based on this claim. Without the development of the said special relationship between the leader and followers, an effective leadership does not arise. In order to determine the validity of my claim, this section shall then discuss empirical and conceptual works published in relation to known theories about leadership and leadership development. According to Hiebert and Klatt (2001), there are generally eight major theories pertaining to leadership; these are the following: (1) Great man theories, (2) Trait theories, (3) Contingency theories, (4) Situational theories, (5) Behavioural theories, (6) Participative theories, (7) Management theories, and (8) Relationship theories. Based on the first theory, the Great Man Theory, it is assumed that one’s capacity to lead his or her team is inherent (Northouse 2009). It is in this respect that the adage, great leaders are born, not made became popular. This generally means that the theories envision leaders as heroic and mythic ones. Their destiny, thus, is to assume responsibility in the event that they are needed. The term “Great Man” was used because of the belief that only the men possess the capability of becoming great leaders (Northouse 2009). The trait theory is generally the same as the Great man theories. In this perspective, it is assumed that people possess certain qualities and traits which have been inherited, thereby making them more suitable to leadership (Bertocci 2009). It is also in this point of view that personality and behavioural characteristics are pointed out which are common to all leaders (Hiebert and Klatt 2001; Northouse 2009). The third theory is contingency theory. The contingency theory focuses on certain variables that are considered suitable for a certain situation. Proponents of this theory posit that no particular type of leadership is suitable to all kinds of situation. Hence, the leader must adopt a suitable style as regards a certain contingency. In addition, it was also argued that the success of the leader also depends on a number of variables; including, the actual leadership style used, the qualities of the followers and the aspects of the said situation (Hiebert and Klatt 2001; Northouse 2009). Situational theories, on the other hand, pertain to the choice of the most suitable course of action depending on situational variables (Northouse 2009). It is generally similar to the contingency theory wherein different styles of leadership are also appropriate for certain types of decision-making. Behavioural theories are then considered as the opposite of the great man theories. This particular view advances the idea that leaders are not born; rather, they are made. It is basically based on the behaviourism theory which shows that if given enough time, through teaching and observation, people will obtain the necessary qualities of a good leader (Bertocci 2009). Participative theories on the other hand, suggest that the ideal leadership style is one wherein one gives paramount consideration to the thoughts and ideas of other people. Leaders subscribing to this view thus encourage the participation and contribution of the group members. In the same manner, the leaders under this perspective also comes up with various steps to ensure that the members of the team feel more relevant and are an important part of the decision-making process (Lussier and Achua 2009). Nevertheless, under this theory, the leader retains the right to determine whether or not the input of others shall be allowed. Management theories or also known as transactional theories focus on the role of supervisors, organisation and group performance. Under this perspective, it is emphasized that a system of rewards and punishments must be adopted to ensure the effectiveness of the employees (Hiebert and Klatt 2001). Hence, when they do good they are provided with incentives. Otherwise, they are reprimanded or punished. The last theory deals with relationship. It is generally linked with transformational theories. It thus focuses on the relationship between the leaders and the followers. Leaders who follow this theory motivate and inspire the members of the group in order to enable them to see the importance of the task (Vallabhaneni 2009). In this sense, the leaders are not merely concerned with the accomplishment of the tasks; instead, they ensure that the well-being and full potential of each person are taken into consideration (Lussier 2008). In this respect, these relationship theories are considered to have the highest ethical and moral standards. The different theories discussed show that the participative and relationship theories are suitable to the personal model and theory that I have developed. In this sense, I will focus on the same in this paper. Aside from this, I will also look into various studies that have been conducted in relation to the same. More specifically, I will also focus on two theories that fall under this group; these are: (1) the Leader-Member Exchange Theory and (2) The Transformational Leadership Theory. One of the theories developed in relation to the participative and relationship perspectives earlier discussed is the leader-member exchange theory (LMX). Basically, the leader-member exchange theory focuses on the relationship existing between the leader and the subordinate (Schemerhorn 2009; Barman 2009; Martin and Fellenz 2010). It was argued that the success of the organisation depends heavily on the positive relations existing between the leader and his or her subordinates. In a nutshell, this implies the development of trust, respect, openness, autonomy and discretion as the leaders allow their followers to take an active role in making important decisions to make them feel more relevant in the process. Avolio, Walumbwa and Weber (2009) conducted a research in relation to the Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX). According to the said authors, authentic leadership means something that is shared, collective and distributed. They mention that it is only through the same that leadership becomes truly effective as the members of the team feel relevant in terms of the attainment goals of the organisation to which they belong in. The leader-member exchange theory (LMX) was first developed in the 1970s. It is regarded as a process of interaction between the leaders and the followers and heavily emphasizes on the interaction between the two (Winkler 2009). It is because of this that researches which had been conducted in relation to the same point out that the leader may have different types of relationships with each and every member of the organisation, depending on their needs. For instance, as Winkler (2009) points out, the leader would usually show more support and attention to a member as compared to the others because the latter has a different need when compared to his colleagues. Because it is an exchange, it has also been suggested that the leaders receive something from the followers; as the followers also receive from the leaders (Winkler 2009). Graen (1995) reveals that leaders who abide by the LMX theory often experience a positive result in terms of the formation of high quality relationships within their organisation. Because of this, Graen (1995) was able to prove that the positive exchange between the leaders and its followers is essential in terms of guaranteeing the effectiveness of the said leadership. Pellegrini and colleagues (2010) concurred with Graen (1995) in maintaining that the formation of positive exchanges between the leader and the members of his or her team is necessary in ensuring the effectiveness of the former as a leader. This is because of the fact that their relationship is heavily characterized by mutual respect for each other, respect and obligation. Henderson and his colleagues (2009) also stressed that the effective leadership results from the adoption of the LMX theory because it enables the organisation to achieve its goals more effectively (Henderson, et al. 2009). Bass (2008), on the other hand, offers a different perspective. He argues that the constant adherence to the LMX theory does no generally ensure effective leadership. Nevertheless, he argues that the same is essential in terms of ensuring the success of the said leadership (Bass 2008). Aside from the LMX theory, another important leadership theory is the transformational leadership theory. In transformational leadership, the focus is on the leaders and their members. It implies a connection amongst the members of the organisation (Tichy and Ulrich 2008; Herold, et al. 2008). Also, it focuses on the improvement in the confidence and self-esteem of the employees, which in turn, is of paramount importance in stimulating the intellectual capacity and creativity of the team members (Wolfram and Mohr 2009). It also increased the self-motivation and independence of the members of the team in terms of task performance (Tichy and Ulrich 2008). Transformational leadership is considered as that type of leadership wherein the leaders and the followers connect with one another so as to achieve a higher level of inspiration and morality. Transformational leadership usually has four dimensions, these are: (1) influence or charisma, (2) intellectual stimulation, (3) individual consideration and (4) inspirational motivation. In this sense, transformational leaders enable independence amongst their followers to help them in working hand in hand in terms of attaining the goals of the organisation. Researchers point out that the transformational leaders are effective leaders because they increase the confidence, self-dependence and effective self-management skills of the people under their supervision. As a result, these efforts result in high creativity and risk management. Undoubtedly, the strict adherence to the tenets of transformational transformation results to higher changes of team goal fulfillment (Wolfram and Mohr 2009). It is in consideration of the abovementioned that I developed a model as regards effective leadership and the key components. Figure 1 (below) shows a radial diagram. At the center is the term, effective leadership. This term is then surrounded with the different components of what makes leadership effective. Based on the research that I have conducted, I consider the following as the key components of effective leadership: (1) charisma, (2) the development of effective relationship with the members, (3) inclination towards the completion of the tasks, (4) capacity to inspire and influence the members, (5) motivation of the members, and lastly, (6) contributes to the improvement in the performance of the members. As I have previously stated, the model that I have developed for effective leadership makes use of a radial diagram wherein the center reflects “effective leadership.” This means that the circles surrounding the said term are the key components. Based on my research as well as the assessment of the self-insights earlier accomplished, I regard (1) charisma, (2) effective relationship with members, (3) inclination towards the completion of tasks, (4) capacity to inspire and influence members, (5) motivation of the members, and (6) contributes to the improvement in the performance of the members as the essential factors that contribute to the effectiveness of leadership. I believe that charisma is a key component of effective leadership. Charisma is needed because leaders need the same in order to properly motivate the members of their team. The effective relationship with members, on the other hand, has been considered by previous researchers as important in terms of ensuring effective leadership. It is also through the development of effective relationship that the leaders would be able to properly motivate, influence and encourage the members of their team in terms of accomplishing their goals. Nevertheless, the leaders must continue to give paramount importance to the accomplishment of tasks. It is only though the same that their effectiveness would be guaranteed. The capacity to inspire, influence and motivate the members is also important as this would guarantee the development of a good relationship between the leaders and the members. Finally, the improvement in the performance of the members is also a component of effective leadership. Without this, it is not possible to conclude that the leaders are effective. I believe that a person looking into the model that I have developed will immediately recognize that the same deals with the components of an effective leadership. This is because of my choice in using the radial diagram as the means by which it was presented. Generally, this radial diagram illustrates that the little circles surrounding the middle one are the key components. The model that I have developed concurs with my self-awareness in terms of my perceptions as regards to leadership as well as my unconscious learning of the same. As my research suggests, I was able to point out that the development of a good relationship between the leader and the members of his or her team is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the leadership. Moreover, a leader must adhere to the tenets of transformational leadership. Hence, a leader must be able to influence, inspire and motivate the members of his or her staff. He too must also be charismatic to properly influence the members to work towards the fulfillment of their goals. The results of my self-assessments, however, do not reflect these in its entirety. In fact, while I showed a high score in terms of charisma and transformational leadership, I showed a higher inclination to the achievement of the goals and tasks rather than giving due consideration to the members of my team. Likewise, in my values exploration, I discovered that the development of a good relationship with the members of my team is something that I must work on in order to ensure my effectiveness as a leader. I admit the gaps existing between my beliefs and my actual practice. In fact, this is the reason why I would like to improve on the fact that I must give due consideration to the well-being of my team members, and at the same time, to develop a better relationship with them. Basically, I consider my inclination to the accomplishment to tasks as my ‘blind spot’ or ‘rigid mental maps’ that prevent my development as a leader. There are times, when I do not seem to care about giving my team members a chance to participate and feel relevant as I want to get things done right away, based on the deadline given. Undoubtedly, this pose a significant challenge as based on my theory of effective leadership, an effective leader must not only focus on the accomplishment of tasks. Instead, due consideration must be given to the development of the relationship and exchange between him and the members to ensure the formation of quality relationships, which in turn results to effectiveness. To cater to the said gaps, I would focus on establishing relationships with the members of my team to ensure my effectiveness as a leader. I will influence, motivate and inspire them in working towards the achievement of our goals. Through this, I will be able to show them that I have high regard for their individual accomplishments as well as to their well-being. Based on the abovementioned, effective leadership is all about the possession of a high regard for both the accomplishment of tasks and the development of good relationships between the members of the team and their leader. The leader must not be placed at a higher position than the members. Instead, the leader must be perceived as an integral part of it. Hence, he is also bound by the goals of the organisation. In this manner, the leader must come up with various methods by which he could influence, motivate, encourage and inspire the members of his team to work hand in hand with him towards the fulfillment of their goals. Also, the leader must also show the members of his team that he gives paramount consideration to their own opinions. Hence, he must give his members a chance to take an active part in making decisions. It is through this, the members of the organisation feel included in the processes and feel relevant, thus inspiring them to work hard. In order to attain the same, I plan to ensure the proper incorporation of the basic values of teamwork, tolerance, communication and respect for opinions. Through these, every member of my team will feel included and as a result of the same, they are more or less willing to take an active part towards the attainment of the goals of that we wish to attain. Nevertheless, I will continue to maintain my position within the team. As a leader, I will continue to make sound decisions and to take an active part in ensuring that no conflict arises amongst the members of my team. I will also support each and every member as well as assess their needs and determine the level of help they need in relation to the same. In view of this patience and tolerance must also be incorporated into my practice in order to achieve the same. My personal theory of effective leadership gives high regard to the development of relationships between the leaders and the members. Unlike the other theories of leadership which view leaders as heroes who possess all the necessary information and has the only right to make sound decisions, my leadership theory is based on other leadership theories such as the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and Transformational Leadership. Just like the LMX theory, my theory considers it ideal for the leader to maintain a good and healthy relationship with the members of his or her team. On the other hand, in comparison with the transformational leadership theory, my theory espouses that the leader plays an active part in terms influencing, motivating, encouraging and inspiring the members of the team to work hand in hand in the fulfillment of the goals. Nevertheless, as repeatedly pointed out, as the leader of the team, an effective leader must continue to take its place. Hence, the strong inclination towards the fulfillment of goals must be maintained. In addition, the leader must also be able to make sound decisions. In rectifying the gaps between my theory and my own practice, I will adopt the following rules: (1) an effective partnership must be established between me and my members; through this, we will be able to develop a good and healthy relationship characterized with open communication skills; (2) as a leader, I will develop a feedback system wherein I could openly talk about the areas where my team members must improve on and the skills that they must develop; (3) as a leader, I will continuously keep the members of my team posted with respect to our goals and the deadlines for achieving the same; (4) I will encourage the members of my team to do their best in working towards the fulfillment of our goals; (5) I will inspire the members of my team to work hard by ensuring that they receive the appropriate rewards for a job well done; (6) I will develop a performance appraisal system in order to measure the improvement of the members of my team with respect to performance; and finally, (7) I will continue making sound decisions for the benefit of my team. I also plan to achieve the same by giving paramount consideration of teamwork, tolerance, respect, communication and feedback. This solution works. It generally focuses on the aspects of leadership that have not been met effectively. For instance, the development of an effective partnership between the leader and the members guarantee an exchange between both of them, as suggested by the LMX theory. The development of the feedback system would on the other hand, help the leaders and the members of his team to determine the areas where they must improve on so as to guarantee the fulfillment of the goals. This is also the same as the third rule wherein the leader keeps the members of the team posted with the goals and deadline. Apparently, it is through this third rule that the leader is assured that he or she keeps balance between regard for his or her people and their tasks. The encouragement of the leader of the members of his or her team in terms of doing their best for the fulfillment of the job is an aspect of transformational leadership. Through this, the leaders ‘transform’ their members into active members of the organisation, contributing successfully to the effectiveness of the same. This is also the case as regards the inspiration that the leader throws to his or her members. The development of a performance appraisal, also refers to the measurement as to how effective the leader is in terms of ensuring the improvement in the performance of the members of his or her team. Lastly, it is through the continuous making of sound decisions that the leader is able to maintain his or her rightful place in the team. These reflect important principles in relation to organisational effectiveness. Previous researches have all underscored the importance of effective leadership in terms of ensuring the effectiveness of the organisation. 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